Wire or rope puller
A puller device for pulling a wire or rope through a conduit includes first and second motor-driven capstans about which a wire or rope can be wound for wire or rope-pulling purposes and an elongated arm arrangement having an end which is positionable adjacent the conduit through which the wire or rope is to be pulled. The first elongated arm member is connected to the second arm member for movement about a pivot axis, and there are provided a plurality of rollers adjacent the pivot axis having surfaces along which the wire or rope bears against so that forces which are exerted adjacent the pivot axis by the wire or rope are distributed between the rollers. In addition, a conduit-engaging assembly mounted upon the elongated arm arrangement holds the conduit in a fixed positional relationship with respect to the elongated arm arrangement during a wire or rope-pulling operation.
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The benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/628,956, filed Nov. 10, 2011, and entitled DUAL CAPSTAN VARIABLE SPEED WIRE AND/OR ROPE PULLER WITH UNIVERSAL CONDUIT ADAPTER, is hereby claimed. The disclosure of this referenced provisional patent application is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to means and methods for pulling wire or rope through a conduit and relates, more particularly, to equipment used for carrying out such a task.
It is common at a construction jobsite that a wire or rope (e.g. one that is tied to an electrical wire) is desired to be pulled through an electrical conduit. For purposes of pulling such a wire or rope through the conduit, there exists equipment which includes a motor-driven capstan about which the wire or rope to be pulled can be wound, a series of arms which are joined in a end-to-end arrangement so that as the wire or rope being pulled from the conduit moves toward the capstan, the wire or rope is guided along the arrangement of arms. A free end of the arm arrangement is positioned against an end of the conduit, and the motor-driven capstan is actuated for pulling the wire or rope through and out of the conduit.
An example of a piece of equipment of the aforedescribed class is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,016,267 having the same named inventors as the instant application.
It would be desirable to provide a piece of equipment for pulling for wire or rope through a conduit which improves upon the equipment described in the referenced patent.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved wire or rope puller.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a puller which is relatively lightweight, easy to manipulate and set up and which can be adapted for pulling wire or rope through a conduit having an end disposed at any of a number of locations, such as from a floor, wall or a ceiling.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such a puller which is capable of pulling heavy loads at lower speed or lighter loads at higher speeds and which can be readily switched from a lighter load pull to a higher load pull or vice versa.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a puller whose construction distributes forces which are exerted upon the puller in a manner which reduces the amount of load-pulling forces which would otherwise be required to pull the wire or rope along the path.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a puller having a conduit-engaging assembly capable of being quickly adapted to any of a number of differently-sized conduits through which the wire or rope is desired to be pulled.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide such a puller which is uncomplicated in structure, yet effective in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis invention resides in a puller device for pulling a wire or rope through a conduit. The device includes a frame and an elongated arm arrangement which is connected at one end to the frame and has an opposite end which is positionable adjacent the conduit through which the wire or rope is to be pulled and along which the wire or rope travels as it is pulled from the conduit.
In one aspect of the invention, the device includes first and second motor-driven capstans which are rotatably mounted upon the frame for rotation with respect thereto so that by winding the wire or rope about either the first or second capstan and actuating the motor-driven capstan about which the wire or rope is wound, the wire or rope is pulled through the conduit as the first or second capstan about which the wire or rope is wound is rotated relative to the frame.
In another aspect of the invention, the elongated arm arrangement includes first and second elongated arm members along which the wire or rope is permitted to travel during a wire or rope-pulling operation wherein the wire or rope travels along the second elongated arm member and then along the first elongated arm member as the wire or rope is pulled toward the capstan. In addition, the device includes means for means for connecting the first and second elongated arm members together for movement about a pivot axis, and the connecting means includes a plurality of rollers having surfaces along which the wire or rope bears against during a wire or rope-pulling operation so that forces which are exerted upon the connecting means by the wire or rope are distributed between the rollers.
In still another aspect of the invention, the device includes a conduit-engaging assembly mounted at the opposite end of the elongated arm arrangement for holding the conduit in a fixed relationship with respect to the elongated arm arrangement during a wire or rope-pulling operation wherein the conduit-engaging assembly includes a U-shaped bracket having an interior which is positionable about the conduit through which the wire or rope is to be pulled and hardware which provides an abutment surface against which the conduit is positionable so that when the conduit is held by the conduit-engaging assembly, the conduit is positioned between the abutment surface and the interior of the U-shaped bracket.
Turning now to the drawings in greater detail and considering first
As illustrated in
With reference again to
The lower frame portion 50 further includes a plurality of braces 60 which are supported atop the axle portion 54 and a first tubular member 62 which is supported atop the braces 60 so as to be spaced from the axle portion 54 and oriented substantially along a path which is normal to the rotational axis 58 of the axle portion 54 (or, more specifically, perpendicular to a plane which contains the longitudinal axis of the axle portion 54). A plurality of through-openings 68 are provided along the length of the first tubular member 62 for a reason which will be apparent herein.
The upper frame portion 52 includes a second tubular member 64 which is positioned about so as to accommodate a sliding movement of the second tubular member 64 along the length of the first tubular member 62, and there is provided within the second tubular member 64 a through-opening 66 which can be selectively aligned with one of the through-openings 68 of the first tubular member 62.
Associated along the through-opening 66 is a threaded boss 69 for threadably accepting the shank of a pin 71 (
Because the upper frame portion 52 can be shifted relative to the lower frame portion 50 as aforesaid, the weight distribution of the puller 20 about the wheels 56 can be adjusted to, for example, render it easier for a user to manually move the puller 20 across the floor from one site to another. If desired, a hitch mechanism (not shown) can be incorporated within one end (i.e. the rightward end as shown in
Fixedly secured atop the second tubular member 54 is a motor assembly 70, which includes the electric drive motor 32 introduced earlier, and the first elongated arm member 28, also introduced earlier. The first elongated arm member 28 includes a proximal end 74 (which is fixedly disposed adjacent the motor assembly 70) and an opposite distal end 76. Extending from opposite sides of the motor assembly 70 is one capstan 36 (having a diameter of about nine inches) and the other capstan 34 having a smaller diameter (e.g. about four inches) than the first capstan 36. Preferably, each capstan 36 or 34 is provided with a cylindrical surface 86 about which a segment of the length 46 of wire or rope is wrapped for a pulling operation with the puller 20 and which possesses a high-friction surface or, more specifically, a surface 86 which possesses relatively high degree of resistance to movement between the surface 86 and the length 46 of wire or rope wrapped thereabout.
With reference still to
With reference to
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 5-7, the second elongated arm member 30 includes a proximal end portion 130 (disposed adjacent the distal end portion 76 of the first elongated arm member 28) and a distal end portion 132. In addition, the second elongated arm member 30 includes a pair of tube portions 90 and 92 at the proximal and distal ends 74 and 76, respectively, and which open toward one another. Moreover, the second elongated arm member 30 further includes an intermediate tube portion 94 (which has a slightly smaller diameter than that of the tube portions 90 and 92) so that each of the opposite ends of the intermediate tube portion 94 can be closely accepted by the open end of the tube portion 90 or 92. The end portion of the intermediate tube portion 94 which is disposed within the tube section 92 is provided with several pairs of through-openings 96 thereabout, and the tube section 92 is provided with a pair of through-openings 98 which can be aligned with any of a pair of through-openings 96 of the intermediate tube portion 94 and secured thereto with a pin 100.
In connection with the foregoing and as exemplified by the proximal end portion 130 depicted in
It will be understood that the series of pairs of through-openings 96 disposed about the intermediate tube portion 94 permits a user to select the angular disposition of the second arm member 30 relative to the floor 24 by removing the pin 100 from the tube portion 92, rotating the second arm member 30 (by way of the tube portion 92) about the longitudinal axis of the intermediate tube portion 94 to align the through-openings 98 with an alternative pair of openings 96, and then re-securing the pin 100 through the alternative pair of aligned openings 96 and 98.
It also follows from the foregoing that the intermediate tube portion 94 can be exchanged with a tube portion of alternative length to thereby alter the length of the second elongated arm member 30. Furthermore and although the intermediate tube portion 94 of the depicted puller 120 has been shown and described as having a fixed length, a telescoping tube arrangement can be incorporated within the first elongated arm member 30 to facilitate an adjustment of the length thereof.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 8-10, it is a feature of the puller 20 that the first and second elongated arm members 28 and 30 are pivotally connected together (e.g. at a corner) by way of an intermediate knuckle assembly 134 which provides a substantially arcuate path of relatively large diameter and reduced resistance along which the length 46 of wire or rope is guided as the length 46 is pulled from the conduit end 38 and moves across the knuckle assembly 134 (and thus about the corner formed by the joinder of the first and second arm members 28 and 30).
The intermediate knuckle assembly 134 of the depicted puller 20 includes a pair of kidney-shaped plates 138 and 140 having two opposite ends 142 and 144 and which are secured in spaced-apart and parallel relationship with one another. To this end, a transversely-extending tube section 146 is fixedly secured, as with welds, across an end of the second tube portion 122 of the first arm member 28, and the opposite ends of the tube section 146 is fixedly secured within pre-formed openings 148 provided in the ends 142 of the plates 138, 140. Furthermore, a transversely-extending tube section 150 is fixedly secured, as with welds, across an end of the first tube portion 90 of the second elongated arm member 30, and the opposite ends of the tube section 150 are, in turn, rotatably mounted within pre-formed openings 152 provided in the ends 144 of the plates 138 and 140. With the plates 138 and 140 attached to the first and second elongated arm members 28 and 30 in this manner, the second arm member 30 is permitted to be pivoted relative to the knuckle assembly 134 (and the first arm member 28) about the longitudinal axis, indicated 112, of the tube section 150 and which axis 112 extends to one side of the longitudinal axis of the first arm elongated member 28.
To releasably secure the second elongated arm member 30 in an alternative angular orientation with respect to the knuckle assembly 134, the pair of plates 138 and 140 are provided with a series of aligned through-openings 172 which are arranged about the pivot axis 112, and an apertured boss 114 is fixedly secured to the tube portion 90 for movement therewith. The second arm member 30 can be pivoted about the pivot axis 110 so that the aperture of the boss 114 can be aligned with an alternative pair of openings 172, and a retractable pin 176 whose shank 178 (
In addition, the knuckle assembly 102 includes a plurality of (e.g. three) rollers and 154, 156 158 which are mounted for rotation between the plates 138 and 140. More specifically, each roller 154, 156 and 158 has a centrally-disposed shank 162 whose ends are supported by the plates 138, 140 and about which the roller 154, 156 and 158 is adapted to rotate, and the rotational axis of each roller 154, 156 and 158 is substantially parallel to the rotational axis of every other roller 154, 156 or 158. Moreover, each roller 154, 156 and 158 includes a cylindrical body 162 comprised of a relatively hard plastic material which provides a smooth cylindrical surface 164 across which a wire or rope being pulled from the conduit 42 is permitted to travel across.
It is a feature of the puller 20 that the rollers 154, 156 and 158 are arranged in such a relationship to one another and to the first and second arm members 28 and 30 so that the cylindrical surfaces 164 of the rollers 154, 156 and 158 collectively provide a substantially arcuate path, indicated 166 in
When the aforedescribed arrangement of multiple rollers 154, 156 and 158 within the knuckle assembly 134 are compared to an arrangement including a single roller used to guide a wire or roller around a corner, the shank of the single roller would have to withstand the entirety of any load-induced forces applied thereto and still be capable of rotating as a wire or rope is pulled thereacross. However, the arrangement of multiple rollers in the knuckle assembly 134 distributes the load-induced forces across the shanks of the multiple rollers so that the rollers 154, 156 and 158 rotate with more ease (i.e. less rolling resistance) as a wire or roller is pulled thereacross than would be the case with the single roller arrangement, and is advantageous in this respect.
With reference to
With reference again to
As best shown in
With reference still to
As best shown in
With reference still to
The base section 264 of the bracket 242 is also provided with a pair of spaced (and laterally-extending) slots 276 disposed directly above the region 270 of increased thickness for a purpose which will be apparent herein.
The forces required to pull a wire or rope through the conduit end 38 with the puller 20 can be large enough to urge the conduit 42 to torque, or pivot, about the conduit-engaging assembly 200 in the direction of the
Although the aforedescribed conduit-engaging assembly 200—with only the bracket 242 clamped about the conduit 242—has proved to be well-suited for stably holding a conduit possessing a broad range of diameters for a relatively broad range of loads, it may be desirable—in wire or rope-pulling applications which are likely to require extremely high load-pulling efforts—to utilize an additional adaptor to further stabilize the conduit 42 clamped within the conduit-engaging assembly 200.
In connection with the foregoing and with reference to
With the conduit end 42 positioned within the bracket 242 in this manner, the tongue portion 318 is held in position within the interior of the conduit 42. Therefore, when load-induced forces which tend to torque the conduit 42 about the conduit-engaging assembly 200 as aforedescribed, the tongue portion 318 is in position to act as an abutment surface which opposes the aforedescribed torquing of the interior surface of the conduit 42 during a wire or rope-pulling operation. Thus, the adaptor 314 further opposes load-inducing forces which tend to torque the clamped conduit 42 about the conduit-engaging assembly 200 and is advantageous in this respect.
Further still and as shown in
Inasmuch as the conduit 42 through which a wire or rope is desired to be pulled can be of a number of different sizes (i.e. diameters), it will be understood that the bracket 214 and the adaptor 214 can be appropriately sized to more closely correspond to the size of a differently-sized conduit for pulling a wire or rope through the conduit. In this regard, there are mounted upon the wheeled base 22 a plurality of adaptors 324 (
It follows from the foregoing that a wire puller 20 has been described which is capable of pulling a length 46 of wire or rope through a conduit 42 at a jobsite. In addition, the provision of two capstans 34 and 36 provides an operator with the option of utilizing one capstan 36 for higher-speed, lower-load pulls or the other capstan 34 for lower-speed, higher-load pulls and further provides the operator with the capacity of readily switching (during one pull) the wire or rope being pulled from one capstan 34 to the other capstan 36, or vise-versa. Thus, the puller 20 enables an operator to effect any of a number of different types of wire or rope pulls in a cost effective manner and with a single piece of equipment.
A puller 20 in accordance with the aforedescribed structure has been constructed and found to possess the capacity to apply about 10,000 pounds of pull to a wire or rope routed through a conduit 42.
It will be understood that numerous modifications and substitutions can be had to the aforedescribed embodiment 20 without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the aforedescribed embodiment 20 is intended for the purpose of illustration and not as limitation.
Claims
1. A puller device for pulling a wire or rope through a conduit, said device comprising:
- a frame adapted to rest upon an underlying floor and having two opposite sides;
- an elongated arm arrangement which is connected at one end to the frame and has an opposite end which is positionable adjacent the conduit through which the wire or rope is to be pulled and along which the wire or rope travels as the wire or rope is pulled from the conduit; and
- first and second motor-driven capstans which are rotatably mounted upon the frame so as to extend from the two opposite sides of the frame and wherein each capstan is mounted for rotation with respect to the frame about a rotation axis which is substantially parallel to the underlying floor, and each having a rotatable surface about which a wire or rope can be wound for wire or rope-pulling purposes so that by winding the wire or rope about either the first or second capstan and actuating the motor-driven capstan about which the wire or rope is wound, the wire or rope is pulled through the conduit as the first or second capstan about which the wire or rope is wound is rotated relative to the frame.
2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein the rotatable surface of the first capstan possesses a diameter, and the rotatable surface of the second capstan possesses a diameter which is smaller from that of the first capstan enabling an operator to selectively wind the wire or rope being pulled about either the first capstan for higher-speed pulling operations requiring relatively low load requirements or the second capstan for lower-speed pulling operations requiring relatively higher load requirements.
3. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein the elongated arm arrangement includes:
- a) a first elongated arm member having a proximal end portion which is joined to the frame and a distal end portion;
- b) a second elongated arm member having a proximal end portion which is joined to the distal end portion of the first elongated arm member at a corner and a distal end portion
- so that the wire or rope being pulled through the conduit and moves toward the first or second capstan travels, in sequence, along the second elongated arm member, about said corner and then along the first elongated arm member; and
- the device further includes a plurality of rollers which are mounted for rotation adjacent said corner and have surfaces which collectively provide a guideway along which the wire or rope is permitted to move as the wire or rope travels about said corner.
4. The device as defined in claim 3 further comprising a pair of plates which are arranged in spaced and parallel relationship with one another and which are fixedly secured to one of the first or second elongated arm member adjacent said corner, the rollers are rotatably mounted between the pair of plates, and the guideway which is provided by the surfaces of the rollers is substantially arcuate in shape so that load-induced forces which bear against the rollers during a wire or rope-pulling operation are distributed between the rollers.
5. The device as defined in claim 1 further comprising a conduit-engaging assembly mounted at the opposite end of the elongated arm arrangement for holding the conduit in a fixed relationship with respect to the elongated arm arrangement during a wire or rope-pulling operation.
6. The device as defined in claim 5 wherein the conduit-engaging assembly includes a U-shaped bracket having an interior which is positionable about the conduit through which the wire or rope is to be pulled and hardware which provides an abutment surface against which the conduit is positionable so that when the conduit is held by the conduit-engaging assembly, the conduit is positioned between the abutment surface and the interior of the U-shaped bracket.
7. The device as defined in claim 6 wherein the conduit through which the wire or rope is desired to be pulled includes an end, a shoulder which is spaced from the conduit end and a reduced portion which extends between the shoulder and the conduit end; and
- the U-shaped bracket includes a base section including a thickened region along the interior surface thereof and a lip portion so that when the conduit is held in a fixed relationship by the conduit-engaging assembly, the thickened region engages the reduced portion of the conduit and the lip portion abuts the shoulder of the conduit.
8. The device as defines in claim 6 further comprising an adaptor which is connectable between the hardware and the U-shaped bracket and which includes a tongue portion which is positionable within the interior of the conduit when the conduit is held by the conduit-engaging assembly for bearing against the interior of the conduit during a wire or rope-pulling operation to counter load-induced torquing forces exerted upon the conduit during a wire or rope-pulling operation.
9. The device as defined in claim 8 wherein the adaptor is open along one side thereof to accommodate the positioning of the adaptor about the wire or rope being pulled from the conduit or to accommodate the removal of the adaptor from a position about the wire or rope being pulled from the conduit.
10. The device as defined in claim 1 further comprising a wheeled base for rollably supporting the frame upon the underlying floor, the wheeled base including two wheels which are aligned with one another for rotation about a single rotation axis and which permit the frame to be pivoted relative to the underlying floor about the single rotation axis.
11. The device as defined in claim 10 wherein the frame is connected to the wheeled base in a manner which permits the positional relationship relative to the wheeled base to be adjusted to thereby alter the center of gravity of the device relative to the single rotation axis.
12. The device as defined in claim 11 wherein the frame is adapted to be slidably moved relative to the wheeled base along a pathway which is substantially normal to the single rotation axis.
13. A puller device for pulling wire or rope from the end of a conduit, said puller device comprising:
- a frame adapted to rest upon an underlying floor and having two opposite sides;
- first and second capstans mounted upon the frame so as to extend from the two opposite sides of the frame and wherein each capstan is mounted for rotation with respect to the frame about a rotation axis which is substantially parallel to the underlying floor and has a rotatable surface about which a wire or rope can be wrapped so that upon rotation of the capstan about which the wire or rope is wrapped, the wire or rope is pulled from the end of the conduit;
- an elongated arm arrangement having one end which is mounted upon the frame and another end which is positionable adjacent the end of the conduit, the elongated arm arrangement including first and second elongated arm members along which the wire or rope is permitted to travel during a wire or rope-pulling operation wherein the wire or rope travels along the second elongated arm member and then along the first elongated arm member as the wire or rope is pulled toward the capstan; and
- means for connecting the first and second elongated arm members together for movement about a pivot axis, and the connecting means includes a plurality of rollers having surfaces along which the wire or rope bears against during a wire or rope-pulling operation so that forces which are exerted upon the connecting means by the wire or rope are distributed between the rollers; and
- a motor which is mounted upon the frame and is drivingly connected to the first and second capstans so that actuation of the motor effects the rotation of the first and second capstans simultaneously; and
- wherein the rotatable surface of the first capstan possesses a diameter, and the rotatable surface of the second capstan possesses a diameter which is smaller from that of the first capstan enabling an operator to selectively wrap the wire or rope being pulled about the first capstan having a rotatable surface of larger diameter for higher-speed pulling operations requiring relatively low load requirements or the second capstan having a rotatable surface of smaller diameter for lower-speed pulling operations requiring relatively higher load requirements so that in any pulling operation performed with the device, the wire or rope can be wrapped about either the first capstan or the second capstan depending upon the load requirements of the motor necessary to pull the wire or rope through the conduit.
14. The device as defined in claim 13 wherein the plurality of rollers are mounted for rotation about axes which are substantially parallel to one another, and the rollers collectively provide an arcuate path along which the wire or rope is moved as the wire or rope travels along the second elongated arm member and then along the first elongated arm member.
15. The device as defined in claim 13 further comprising a conduit-engaging assembly mounted at the opposite end of the elongated arm arrangement for holding the conduit in a fixed relationship with respect to the elongated arm arrangement during a wire or rope-pulling operation.
16. The device as defined in claim 15 wherein the conduit-engaging assembly includes a U-shaped bracket having an interior which is positionable about the conduit through which the wire or rope is to be pulled and hardware which provides an abutment surface against which the conduit is positionable so that when the conduit is held by the conduit-engaging assembly, the conduit is positioned between the abutment surface and the interior of the U-shaped bracket.
17. The device as defined in claim 16 wherein the conduit through which the wire or rope is desired to be pulled includes an end, a shoulder which is spaced from the conduit end, and a reduced portion which extends between the shoulder and the conduit end; and
- the U-shaped bracket includes a base section including a thickened region along the interior surface thereof and a lip portion so that when the conduit is held in a fixed relationship by the conduit-engaging assembly, the thickened region engages the reduced portion of the conduit and the lip portion abuts the shoulder of the conduit.
18. The device as defined in claim 15 further comprising a wheeled base for rollably supporting the frame upon the underlying floor, the wheeled base including two wheels which are aligned with one another for rotation about a single rotation axis and which permit the frame to be pivoted relative to the underlying floor about the single rotation axis.
19. The device as defined in claim 15 including two motor-driven capstans mounted upon the frame for rotation with respect thereto, and each capstan having a rotatable surface about which a wire or rope can be wrapped so that upon rotation of the capstan about which the wire or rope is wrapped, the wire or rope is pulled from the end of the conduit.
20. A puller device for pulling a wire or rope through an opening defined in a conduit having an end wherein the conduit includes a cylindrical portion adjacent the conduit end and having outer sidewalls which encircle the conduit opening and wherein the conduit has a longitudinal axis, said device comprising:
- a frame;
- at least one motor-driven capstan mounted upon the frame for rotation with respect thereto and having a rotatable surface about which a wire or rope can be wrapped so that upon rotation of the capstan, the wire or rope is pulled from the end of the conduit;
- an elongated arm arrangement having one end which is mounted upon the frame and an opposite end which is positionable adjacent the opening of the conduit, and the elongated arm arrangement includes an elongated portion disposed adjacent the opposite end of the elongated arm arrangement wherein the elongated portion includes a longitudinal axis; and
- a conduit-engaging assembly mounted at the opposite end of the elongated arm arrangement for holding the conduit in a fixed positional relationship with respect to the elongated arm arrangement during a wire or rope-pulling operation so that the longitudinal axis of the conduit is maintained by the conduit-engaging assembly in a fixed positional relationship with respect to the longitudinal axis of the elongated portion of the elongated arm arrangement and wherein the conduit-engaging assembly includes a U-shaped bracket having an interior which is positionable about the cylindrical portion of the conduit defining the opening through which the wire or rope is to be pulled and hardware which provides an abutment surface against which the conduit is positionable so that when the conduit is held by the conduit-engaging assembly, the cylindrical portion of the conduit is positioned between the abutment surface and the interior of the U-shaped bracket so that the abutment surface engages the outer sidewalls of the conduit on one side of the opening and so that the interior of the U-shaped bracket engages the outer sidewalls of the conduit on a side thereof which is substantially opposite said one side so that the conduit-engaginq assembly and the conduit are joined as an inflexible unitary structure to prevent the conduit-engaging assembly from being pivoted relative to the longitudinal axis of the conduit during a wire or rope-pulling operation and thereby prevent the longitudinal axis of the elongated arm arrangement from being pivoted relative to the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal axis of the conduit during a wire or rope-pulling operation.
21. The device as defined in claim 20 wherein the conduit through which the wire or rope is desired to be pulled includes a shoulder which is spaced from the conduit end, and a reduced portion which extends between the shoulder and the conduit end; and
- the U-shaped bracket includes a base section including a thickened region along the interior surface thereof and a lip portion so that when the conduit is held in a fixed relationship by the conduit-engaging assembly, the thickened region engages the reduced portion of the conduit and the lip portion abuts the shoulder of the conduit.
22. The device as defines in claim 21 further comprising an adaptor which is connectable between the hardware and the U-shaped bracket and which includes a tongue portion which is positionable within the interior of the conduit when the conduit is held by the conduit-engaging assembly for bearing against the interior of the conduit during a wire or rope-pulling operation to counter load-induced torquing forces exerted upon the conduit during a wire or rope-pulling operation.
23. The device as defined in claim 22 wherein the adaptor is open along one side thereof to accommodate the positioning of the adaptor about the wire or rope being pulled from the conduit or to accommodate the removal of the adaptor from a position about the wire or rope being pulled from the conduit.
24. The device as defined in claim 20 further comprising a wheeled base for rollably supporting the frame upon an underlying floor, the wheeled base including two wheels which are aligned with one another for rotation about a single rotation axis and which permit the frame to be pivoted relative to the underlying floor about the single rotation axis.
25. The device as defined in claim 20 including two motor-driven capstans mounted upon the frame for rotation with respect thereto, and each capstan having a rotatable surface about which a wire or rope can be wrapped so that upon rotation of the capstan about which the wire or rope is wrapped, the wire or rope is pulled from the end of the conduit.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Nov 9, 2012
Date of Patent: Oct 27, 2015
Patent Publication Number: 20140131645
Assignee: iTool Equipment Holding LLC (Knoxville, TN)
Inventors: Michael C. Jordan (Knoxville, TN), David S. Jordan (Knoxville, TN)
Primary Examiner: Lee D Wilson
Assistant Examiner: Seahee Yoon
Application Number: 13/694,234
International Classification: H02G 1/08 (20060101); H02G 1/06 (20060101);